Lack of imagination

Imagination truly lacks in our churches. I noticed that having spent some time on a board about church and men (61% of church attendance is women, and under 30 it is much higher). The solutions proposed always lack real imagination - all about sermon length, song choice, -- all more about slapping a coat of paint on the facade rather than real change.

I think this lack of imagination traces back to various church "reforms" over the centuries. We nearly killed it nearly 5 centuries ago, with the reformation and the enlightenment period. Knowledge became king, and for centuries our churches were down a path of pursuing knowledge of God rather than God. Just look dispassionately at our churches and their activities - the emphasis in meetings, Sunday School, etc is all about study, the pursuit of knowledge. And as Skye Jethani observes in Divine Commodity, for all the dominance of Christianity in the Western world in that time, how much real transformation do we see evidenced?

This pursuit of knowledge as a failure has been admitted to in action. In the late years of the last century, the shift went in 'cutting edge' churches to skill development. Twelve principles of financial management. 5 ways to a better marriage. 7 steps to obedient kids. On and on it goes. But look at the outcome - by imitating the self-help section of your local bookstore, we cheapened the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit. The result is that the migration out the door has accelerated. Why go to church for that stuff, when you can get it elsewhere? The church became just another self-help outlet, and if the vibrancy of the movement of Christ can be measured in church attendance, well, it's in trouble as attendance is dropping, especially for those under 30 and they aren't returning after marriage and kids, and the church is losing a grip on society.

And I think it all traces to a lack of imagination. We copy what was done in the past by churches of old. We copy society, repackaging what is popular in the marketplace in the Christian bookstores and in our churches (seen the diet books and programs?). It is considered radical to call the pastor by another name like "coach", or to let them wear jeans when they preach.

Another evidence on the lack of imagination is to look at the results when the imagination is engaged. For example, John Eldredge's Ransomed Heart Ministry purposely engages it. They retell the gospel as an Epic story, treat life as story. They point out that the language of the heart is story. In speaking, John and his team use film clips to illustrate story, recasting movies as modern parables. They engage the imagination by showing how modern movie heroes like William Wallace, Maximus, Neo, and many more are reflections of Jesus. And it works. The fruit of transformed lives that result is incredible.

But the need of imagination goes beyond what and how we teach. We need it in reconsidering how to "do church". We need to look to the past, but not to the past history of the church. We need to look to Jesus. Jesus didn't leave us with a pattern for doing church - he said follow him. Church is to be an outgrowth of the community that forms around Jesus. We can't even look to those few decades right after the Resurrection. No, that was what was right for that time. We cannot return, but we move forward with the same principles. Paul didn't "plant churches" - he went to new city to teach and train disciples. Church was pretty much the afterthought. Yes, he helped organize them, or perhaps rather recognized where the Spirit was organizing them and helped facilitate the work of the Spirit. We need to let our imagination flow, let God inhabit that, and see what forms it takes today. And in 10 years, let that continue. Keep going back to the source, recognize how we've changed, how culture has changed around us, and as Alan Hirsch says "reJesus" the church again.

We need Godly imagination, not repackaged history mixed with repackaged worldly consumerism and its marketing and business principles.

We need FREEDOM.

Organizations

People in any organization are always attached to the obsolete...the things that once were productive and no longer are - Peter Drucker

Church hospitality

Hospitality is a word that comes from a Latin word for "guest". A Christian that worships God does so in part by practicing hospitality (see prior post). But do we do a good job?

In the movie Patch Adams, Patch obtains a home and uses it to practice hospitality to the sick and ailing. This gives insight on why the same root word for hospitality gives us the word for hospital. The powers that be in Patch's world accuse Patch of practicing medicine without a license, but his defense is he is just practicing old fashion hospitality, helping the others as they help him.

Jesus Christ said he came to heal the broken-hearted (a poor translation giving the modern meaning - perhaps better to say "wounded at their core"). The author of Luke thinks this so important that Jesus saying that is a part of Jesus' first recorded statements in his ministry. So sad that this is so little a part of church life.

In the early years, the meetings of the disciples were for the disciples. Today, many churches practice "evangelism" by making the meetings the place they encourage the membership to invite people to. If that is the case, shouldn't the meetings be a place of ministry, as Jesus modeled, rather than a "worship service"? Luke describes the purpose of Jesus ministry by opening with the quote from Isaiah 61 about freedom and healing. But most services I've seen are about "get in, sit down, keep quiet, sing along if you want". It's not a very hospitable atmosphere.

To model Jesus, we need to concern ourselves more with healing and freedom. Jesus and the apostles said precious little about "worship" of God, but much about continuing the mission of Jesus. He came to seek and save what was lost (not the lost, but what was lost). It's about life, healing, and freedom. If we practiced and pursued that, I believe in this day and age, we'd have no need to spend an extra dime on "evangelism". More to come on that latter point ...

Worship

About 25 years ago, I went to look at what biblical "worship" is, doing my best to avoid the "popular" definitions and look strictly at what scripture says. I've returned often to that.

More precisely, I initially looked at what just the New Testament said what our 'corporate' worship was, understanding that Jesus death, burial and resurrection was the fulfillment of the old covenant and the introduction of the new (read Galatians and Hebrews for a full explanation of that).

Interestingly, the New Testament says nothing about corporate worship short of what is in Revelation (!). Worship is rarely used in the letters of the apostles, appearing most often in the gospels and in its appearances in Acts, only in the context of an apostle or two being mistaken for a living god.

[note - some will reply no doubt with examples trying to counter this claim. Most will be from translations done through the bias of modern understanding = paraphrased translations and such. Others are legit - but use words often translated in different contexts into different words - words that mean "serving" in other context]

In the New Testament outside of book of Revelation, the mention of gathering never specifically mentions worship as a reason for the gathering. The closest exception occurs in Acts 2 - among the many activities mentioned is "praising God" - but look closer there. That was mentioned in the context of the disciples, in modern terminology, "living life together" - they were together daily. And it was the second to the last activity the writer mentions. First up was devoting to the apostles teaching and activities of life together, including eating together.

Paul writes instructions in the Corinthian letters about gatherings, and there it is about "encouraging and exhorting one another", not worship. The oft cited Hebrews 10:25 about not neglecting gathering together - look at 10:24. The context is clear that we don't neglect gathering together as it gives an environment for us to "spur one another on toward love and good deeds". In Ephesians 4, the roles of pastors (along with apostles, evangelists, prophets and teachers) is clearly to equip the saints for works for service (v12), not to conduct or lead worship services.

And what does worship entail in the age we live? Only one passage seems to address that for the new covenant age we live in - Romans 12. Sadly, modern translations cut that off with the added "headers" so we are mislead to break Paul's thought:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

In short, our worship is - transform your mind, to use our gifting and give room to others to use their gifting, to love and abhor evil, to honor others, rejoice, practice patience, pray, help others, practice hospitality, bless others and not curse others, empathize with others, live in harmony, practice humility, practice kindness to your enemies.

In short, Jesus introduced worship as a lifestyle, not a meeting. The writers of the New Testament never referred to the gatherings of the disciples as "worship service", nor ever even implied that the gatherings were anything other than to encourage and exhort one another to works of service. The "roles" defined within the church were there to aid the equipping of the disciples for works of service, not facilitate "worship" in the modern sense - though if we accept worship as a lifestyle, we could say in that sense they facilitated worship by equipping the saints for works of service.

Leadership

Alan Hirsch had some interesting thoughts this week in his blog (see here)

In the swirling world of living systems thinking there are comparison of two types of leadership: between what is called operational and adaptive leadership. Essentially, operational leadership is suited for organizations that are in relatively stable environments where maintenance and development of current programming is the core tasks of leadership. This form of leadership is built on the assumptions of social engineering and is thus built squarely on a more 'mechanistic' view of the world. And it does work, and is entirely appropriate for some organizations. Adaptive leadership on the other hand, is the type of leader who develops learning organizations and manages to help the organization transition into different forms or expression where agility, responsiveness, innovation and entrepreneurship are needed. Adaptive leaders are needed in times of significant threat or considerable new opportunity, or both. This has direct relevance to our situation at the dawn of the 21st century.

I'm going to disagree a bit on that last statement - I think the church should have always had adaptive leadership - but we settled for operational leadership. I will agree, however, that it is more crucial than ever to have bold new leadership that is adaptive. We need leadership that is equipping, the primary characteristic of adaptive leadership I believe, rather than commanding and authoritative. We need leadership that shows the way, rather than leadership that maintains and preserves.

Jesus said he who tries to save his life will lose it. I think that is true today of the church, that the church leaders who try to save the church as they know it will lose the church altogether ...

A whole gospel

What we focus on defines what we ignore? -- Brian M.

In the rush to summarize, in the rush to "keep is simple", we focus and lose something. The opposite often happens too - in "criticizing" someone's overemphasis on a point and following ignorance of another, we also force the loss of something.

It is hard, isn't it? No matter what we try we end up losing something, often without realizing it.

So, here I go, risking missing something in summarizing a "whole" gospel.

One could do this "doctrinely", and the closest I've ever seen referred to the gospel as being about:
1) relationship
2) forgiveness
3) healing
4) calling

In short, relationship is relationship with God, Jesus and others, forgiveness - forgiveness of sins, healing - most neglected, but about the healing of the brokenheart, and calling about finding a place in the world and the kingdom (often neglected, or twisted into 'filling in a role at church').

But there is a problem with such doctrinal approaches. They still fixate on items, and if a doctrinal approach was biblical, why isn't such a presentation in the bible itself? No, the bible presents it as story. Story is the language of the heart, not some dry doctrine. What sort of story are we in?

In the story of the gospel, we see the hearts of people of central - Jesus was concerned with the emotions and feelings of the hearts of people. He said he came to heal the brokenhearted - literally translated, this is "shattered in the heart" - in their very core. This story, you see, is a romance. Read the bible cover to cover again, and see it as such. The language is that of pursuing the heart, of a romantic adventure.

And there is an enemy in this story - so many presentations of the gospel neglect this part, or ignore what Paul wrote (I Cor 15:20-25) about the battle still ongoing, ignore the instructions to believers to resist the devil, on and on it goes.

Our approaches, our teaching, our methods, etc, betray this.

I write this to set the stage - I wanted to do a series of posts, probably one a week early in the week (I might do other posts mid-weeks on other topics), on how our methods betray this. Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost have written how our methods are the message - they recognize that our actions speak louder than our doctrinal words. We need to live it. So our methods speak differently. We'll look at that.
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What does it all mean?

Sorry for the lapse. Not sure when I will regularly post.

I saw this on Alan Hirsch's site, with the question "What does it all mean?". My thought - it means that the movement of Christ cannot possibly move forward in this kind of culture without getting grassroots in nature.

There is no way a set of institutions can keep up. We need to get grassroots in our methodologies - which means letting go. Apple's iPods didn't reach 50 million in sales so quickly through traditional methods - I for one bought mine not when i heard what it was, but after seeing one in the hands of friends. And our churches most resemble with their forms old school structures that have virtually no influence in today's culture.

We need to focus on equipping. We need to focus on discipling, plain and simple, and let God lead the rest.

I've pointed it out before, and you know I'll say it again. Jesus said he would build HIS church. His instructions to us was to teach. We need to let go of building churches, planting churches, organizing churches, etc and do what we were originally instructed to do - teach. Not one guy teaching hundreds, as is typically in modern churches. But all of us. And the focus needs to be on teaching to follow Jesus. To hear his voice, to follow close. He will form his churches. He said he would.